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Richie Mo'unga lifts lid on 2027 Rugby World Cup ambitions
By Ned Lester
Richie Mo’unga is determined to return to the international stage for the 2027 Rugby World Cup, a desire made crystal clear in a new interview.
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The All Black is currently playing his second season with the Toshiba Brave Lupus in Japan’s Rugby League One, with one year remaining on his contract after various parties, including Mo’unga, his club and New Zealand Rugby, failed to come to terms on bringing the seven-time Super Rugby champion home early.
But regardless, it appears all but set in stone the star playmaker will make his bid for international selection again ahead of rugby’s showpiece event, held in Australia in 2027.
“This is live and exclusive, this is stuff people haven’t heard from my mouth,” he told told Sky Sport, in an interview with Tim Provise. “I want to play in another World Cup.”
“I do bro, and I’m not just saying that. I really want to play in another Rugby World Cup and that’s the thing you miss here in Japan, the world stage, really testing yourself against the best of the best of the world.”
Mo’unga last donned the black jersey in the 2023 Rugby World Cup final, where his side lost to South Africa by a single point in Paris.
Since that moment, there has been endless speculation over the 30-year-old’s international future, with All Blacks head coach Scott Robertson expressing his interest in having his former Crusaders star available for selection.
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The pair were at the forefront of the most successful dynasty in Super Rugby history, and while Robertson’s message of “we want our best players available” is a simple one, the coach has faced criticism for his pursuit of the star, with pundits saying it reflects poorly on the coach’s confidence in the All Blacks’ current premier playmakers, Damian McKenzie and Beauden Barrett.
Regardless, a return to the international fray looks imminent, and while Mo’unga offered no explicit desire to return to the Crusaders specifically to regain his eligibility, he did wear a vintage jersey from his former club during the interview.
Mo’unga brought his success from the Christchurch-based club to his new home in Tokyo, upsetting the undefeated Saitama Wild Knights in the League One final in his first season at the club. He went on to outline the differences of playing in Japan compared to New Zealand.
“There’s numerous differences. One is that the games are either at 12 pm or 2 pm; there’s no 7:05 games. Here, you wake up, you’re straight into the game, and then you’re home for dinner with the family.
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“And then obviously the game of rugby itself, the tempo is real quick here. One of the reasons is defence is optional – by me too,” Mo’unga laughed.
“It’s quite refreshing. We come from a country where people can be quite hard to please; you can be ridiculed for a dropped ball, media releases come quickly after a game. Here, it’s so refreshing, it’s like you’re in your own little bubble playing on another planet.
“No one really cares; they come out and watch the game, they cheer, then after that, that’s it.”
The move abroad appears to have done great things for Mo’unga’s relationship with the game, declaring his love for the sport and investment in his team is as strong as ever.
“I found a real true love for the game coming back to Japan. I just really love footy and the satisfaction it gives me.
“I think it’s because I wasn’t someone over here trying to prove something; I was in more of a giving phase where I wanted to help develop players, I wanted to help develop coaches and develop a team and see people be the best version of themselves.
“I think that’s been a really cool thing for me in my rugby journey.”
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